Employee benefits are extremely important in the USA. Employers want to attract and retain the best people possible, but they don't want to spend unnecessary money doing so. Thus, they want the best benefits at the lowest cost. Actuaries play a critical role in the design work. However, the most successful employee benefit actuaries are effective communicators. Your clients are typically not actuaries, and you are trying to explain some very complex topics. Thus, the employee benefit field can be very challenging and very rewarding, and will continue to be for many years to come.